Boyesen Power Xwing - Have to share!

Quick update: Mustang seats arrived within 24 hours - went straight onto the 2009 RK. Beautiful. Picked up a heavy breather this week and ordered a TFI. Was expecting the TFI today, so last evening I installed the heavy breather in anticipation. As luck goes, found out late today that UPS won't have the TFI here until Tuesday of next week. No big deal.

Though I probably shouldn't have, I couldn't resist. Finally had a break in the weather today, so I fired her up and gave her a spin to check out the heavy breather. Couldn't be more pleased! You gotta hear that puppy suck air! Plus, it just looks mean on the RK. Great choice, and thanks to those who promote it! Of course, without the TFI and slip-ons, I didn't expect much of a change, and there probably wasn't. Didn't matter - the look and the sound had me grinning like a kid.

But here's the big news: About a year ago, I stumbled on a product made by Boyesen Engineering called the Power Xwing. To be honest, I thought it a gimmick, but I kept my eyes open. In August, I was flipping through a magazine and came upon a write up on this thing, and was quite surprised to find the authors solidly convinced this thing does what it claims. Rather than get into the specifics, here's a link for those interested in checking it out: Boyesen Power XWing . When I purchased the heavy breather, I noticed a sign at the dealer selling this product at 50% off. Having wallet in hand, and being at a dealer, what choice did I really have? Long story short, I took the above test drive with just the heavy breather installed, came back, took it apart, and inserted the Xwing, putting everything back together. I did this to compare the response with/without the Xwing.

I'm still stunned. I can't stop grinning. I'm almost afraid to see what will happen when the TFI is installed along with slip ons.

This thing is everything they claim it to be. It completely changed everything from starting out through 6th gear. Bear in mind, I'm 6'2", 270 lbs. Just pulling out required a careful touch so as to not lug the engine or ride the clutch too hard. With the Xwing, all of that is simply gone. The throttle response is amazing. I used to build momentum through the gears. Now, it just flat out rips through the gears in a very short time. Mid range is rock solid. But what really got my attention was 6th gear. Previously, I had to be at about 50 mph to really use 6th. And there was no accelerating once in 6th. I'd crank the throttle and slowly, slowly pick up speed. Hills were not possible in 6th. Tonight, however, I easily slipped into 6th at 40mph, was able to accelerate quickly to 70, and pulled the same hills with no problem that I couldn't do before without downshifting. And the Xwing's s strong point is lower gears and torque! I could go on and on, but I assure you that the above is not an exaggeration!

I'm wondering, has anyone else out there tried this product, and were your result similar? I'm blown away.

Lastly, if anyone is interested, I took step-by-step pictures of the complete install including the heavy breather and Xwing and would be glad to post the procedure if anyone is interested. Again, this is on a 2009 Road King. Let me know!

snake oil - why would you want something in the air flow? if it works so well why do racers not use it ???

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I know! LOL!! I've been saying the same thing since I stumbled on these guys. Here's the thing: Racers DO use it. Boyesen made a huge name for themselves on the dirt track/2 cycle engine market segment. That eventually spilled over to other market segments. Redfish is absolutely correct when he mentioned outboard motors.

Please understand, I'm not trying to defend Boyesen OR my purchase. It was a gamble, but curiosity finally got the best of me. To be honest, I'm still a bit stunned and having a hard time getting my head around this. In fact, I'm going to have to eat crow with the guys at the dealership. Again, I was also in the "snake oil" camp (and still trying to figure out if I left it), and joked that I'd be taking advantage of Boyesen's money back guarantee!

The point at which I started to really wonder if there was something to this was when they began laying out dyno chart results showing runs w/the device against runs w/out the device. It's always the same. Definite increases in HP and torque. Not huge increases, but attention grabbing none-the-less. And the more I searched around, all I found was more of the same. Add to that the fact that all the techs run them in their own bikes and I'm walking around wondering if I'm missing something! And unless I'm wrong, the dyno doesn't lie.

Too good to be true? HAS to be. Doesn't it? I mean, what if I really could get an extra 3-4 HP and 3-5 ftlbs of torque out of a device costing just over $100?
Better yet, what if I could do the same to a bike that already had a stage 1 upgrade as I was supposedly shown on the dyno charts? How can this be for real?

Bear in mind I did two runs. One run with only the heavy breather, and 2nd run with both. Granted, that experiment was purely subjective, but there was certainly a difference, though I have no data or hard evidence to show for it. This thing has me so...agitated, that I wish I had the spare cash lying around to throw down on a dyno run so I know what I really have here.

Hobbit, to answer your first question, here's a memo that speaks for itself. The first half will suffice. Motorhead Memo by Kip Woodring Please give it a look. I'd be curious as to your thoughts. From my engineering days, the author is right on the money with vortex and dead flow air characteristics.

Last point to consider: Boyesen will set up display booths at various gatherings. They'll allow you to put one of these on YOUR bike and take it for a test run. If you don't like it, take it off, give it back, and walk away. No harm, no foul. If you do like it, install is already done, you drop the money, and you're a happy customer. The point is, it appears to me these guys are willing to put their money where their mouth is. Gave me something to chew on...

Fellas, please don't hate the messenger! I have to assume there's someone else out there like myself thinking "snake oil", but just can't shake wondering if there's something to this. My agenda here is simply to provide info for consideration that may help in the making of a decision. That said, please ignore my opinions, but take a look at the data and decide for yourself. I certainly wouldn't presume to know if this thing works on all bikes in all situations, but man...if it did...

Add to that the fact that all the techs run them in their own bikes and I'm walking around wondering if I'm missing something! And unless I'm wrong, the dyno doesn't lie.

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Dynos can be very misleading. If you were to dyno any bike on the same dyno in back to back runs, you would come up with different numbers because of the heat soak factor and other variables like temps and humidity, not to mention the correction factors on the dyno's themselves. A dyno operator can make the dyno "say" pretty much anything they want it to reflect on paper. Don't believe everything you see or hear about everything.:s

i recently stage1'd my bob good seat of the pants upgrade, i then added Big bore and heads - awesome upgrade (not a few $100 tho ) then i spent £120 on the rolling road and saw gains from 85hp up to 91hp, and 90ft/lbs to 111ft/lbs with more to come once i figure out how to get the fuel out of the system as its still running rich, adding a turbulator/Xwing/vanes in the carb throat/throttle body is not going to gain me any more horse power by smoothing the air to a Lamina flow so it mixes better my bike is fuel injected and as soon as those butterflies open and shut the air velocities will change and what ever is in front of them is not going to affect air flow behind.

ps if you really want to get the air in there fit a blower:lero just joking

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Don't tease me like that...

Seriously, though I should remember this, I can't recall what you're running on your Bob as far as a tuner/fueler goes. I thought you had a TFI at some point, but I'm guessing that is not correct as you've gone big bore and dyno. I can't even imagine what that bike feels like with those gains! When I started with this, I kept telling myself I was only going to do the breather, slip ons, and TFI. And then I'd be happy and leave it alone. Hehheh....HAHAHAHA!! Who am I kidding? I'm certainly a long way away from any profound changes, and the above will have to do for now, but after the first twist of the throttle w/only a minor change, I'm already hooked.

Out of curiosity, can you give me the run down on what you've done to the Bob, along with the components you've used? Would love to see that list!

Dynos can be very misleading. If you were to dyno any bike on the same dyno in back to back runs, you would come up with different numbers because of the heat soak factor and other variables like temps and humidity, not to mention the correction factors on the dyno's themselves. A dyno operator can make the dyno "say" pretty much anything they want it to reflect on paper. Don't believe everything you see or hear about everything.:s

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Man, I LOVE this stuff! It's very addictive, and I'm afraid I'm getting hooked. No doubt about it, I'm sure I'll make a few poor choices along the way, so please keep the advice/corrections coming. I'm game. Just want to keep learning as I go!

For now, I'm not going to do anything until the TFI arrives, and the bike is parked until then. No sense risking any damage or blueing the pipes more than they are. It seemed to get very hot very quickly, though I didn't really run it enough to get a good feel.

I guess the most important question at the moment is will leaving the Xwing in place cause any harm?

I have so many questions, my head is spinning. Just have to take it a step at a time and enjoy the process. Plus, I don't want to become the forum nuisance!

im not shooting the messenger and i know were boysen made there money on the reed valve tuning for 2 smoke bikes, a fellow rider has many of there products in his silly fast 2 smokes.
i know you have fitted this item to your bike but what if i said i could get you better results for the same money?
its called a dynometer and a skilled technician.
i recently stage1'd my bob good seat of the pants upgrade, i then added Big bore and heads - awesome upgrade (not a few $100 tho ) then i spent £120 on the rolling road and saw gains from 85hp up to 91hp, and 90ft/lbs to 111ft/lbs with more to come once i figure out how to get the fuel out of the system as its still running rich, adding a turbulator/Xwing/vanes in the carb throat/throttle body is not going to gain me any more horse power by smoothing the air to a Lamina flow so it mixes better my bike is fuel injected and as soon as those butterflies open and shut the air velocities will change and what ever is in front of them is not going to affect air flow behind.

ps if you really want to get the air in there fit a blower:lero just joking

Best bet would have been to send that money that was burning a hole in your pocket to Hobbit and me for some beverages.

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Only if you're willing to share!

Glider, while I have you, I do have questions regarding the TFI. I noticed you've often advised that it's possible to back down significantly on the yellow and red pots to get better gas mileage. If I understand what I've read of the TFI correctly, turning the pots too high will result in hesitation during sudden roll ons, as the mix is too rich. However, how do I know I'm not backing off too much on the pots? Or is that not even possible, as turning to 1:00 turns that pot off? I'm assuming that anything above 1:00 or stock is an improvement, but how do I really find that "sweet spot" for each pot?